American Blood: A Vampire's Story (11 page)

“God’s fingers touched him, and he slept.”

 —Alfred Lord Tennyson
, English Poet

C
alida had taken her evening blood and now sat on her bed less than satisfied. The young man she was given, although nice and polite, left an unwholesome aftertaste that made her irritable. In fact, his blood was so unpleasant that she didn’t finish her full ration and refused to talk with Siri, who after several failed attempts at engaging her, finally gave up and looking concerned, left the cell.

Ryan had also returned and asked questions about the glowing stone, but she didn’t have the answers he needed, apparently. The man was evidently disappointed that when she discovered the stone she didn’t have with her the means to accurately weigh and measure it. Scientists were a strange part of the human race.

But now she was alone and as the night hours passed Calida fought with her growing hunger, and of course, the boredom of her situation. It appeared that the novelty of having a caged vampire had worn off on her captors. Not even one of the guards had decided to look at her through the funny glass. She had experienced far worse than this through the centuries and fortunately she had developed the ability to pass time by looking back from where she had come.

She closed her eyes and again traveled into her ancient memories. She often wondered what had happened to the glowing stone that was her maker, but she never went back to the cave to find out. There just didn’t seem to be any point in crossing paths with it again.

She stayed far in her past and relived the time before she was taken from her home as a young woman. The faces of her parents and her youngest sister made her smile for a moment. It gave her comfort knowing that even though they had been gone for nearly two thousand years their existence remained a living memory for one who still walked the earth.

A familiar touch upon her mind immediately brought Calida out of her dream-paths. She heard the rush of air from beyond the glass followed by the metallic click of the door that led to this part of the building. It didn’t surprise Calida that he was coming to her again. She opened her eyes and watched him walk past the large window and enter her cell. All of her incredible senses reached out and told her what she already knew.

They were alone.

“Hi, I wanted to come by and see how you were doing.”

“That is very sweet of you.”

“I know I shouldn’t be here, but—”

“I’m sure it’s all right.” Calida stood up and walked over to her guest. “Everything in here is always under a watchful eye.” Calida discretely observed one of the ceiling cameras turning toward them, its ultra-quiet motor audible only to her.

“So the doctors have finally given you some clothes.”

“Doctor Lei is very considerate.”

“Oh, I like her, but I don’t care much for that Doctor Ryan.”

Calida softly giggled. “He’s not so bad, in his own way,” she said and she reached down and took his hand.

“Do you still need to take—take blood like that?”

“I still need blood.”

“That’s just terrible.”

Calida smiled and allowed her instincts to take control as she pressed herself against him and felt his eagerness.

“I’ve gotten used to it, Christopher,” she said. “But I’m always hungry. That’s the worst part of it.” Calida prepared for a warning, but strangely, all remained quiet.

“Come on, let’s go over to the machine and I’ll give you a little snack.” Christopher said. “And when we’re done maybe we can get to know each other better . . . over there.”

Calida looked at her cot and smiled. “So you want me right now? And then what?”

“Don’t worry,” Christopher said, his anticipation reflected in his light southern drawl. “I’m pals with the duty officer in the surveillance room and the camera’s are in maintenance standby for the next half hour. So come on and get some blood.”

Calida sensed something was wrong. A second camera now silently tracked her. She reached out to Christopher but found only a sweet desire and foolish innocence. There was no deception lurking in his mind. As she pulled away from him a warning vibration pulsed inside her skull. She reflexively moved into Christopher’s arms and the vibration stopped. They were being manipulated, but she wondered for what purpose.

“Okay, but only a small snack,” she said. “You’re not supposed to be back here for weeks.”

“I’m sure I can spare a few more ounces.”

Calida looked forward to getting rid of the unpleasant taste from earlier that still lingered on her tongue. Christopher’s blood had been sweet so she warned herself not to take too much.

As he turned to lead her over to the feeding station, the warning vibration again struck and became painful. “No,” Calida said. And as she drew him close the vibration stopped once more.

“Now come on,” Christopher said.

The lack of any guards was another obvious warning to her. Their absence could only be deliberate. Calida again entered Christopher’s mind and the clarity of his thoughts startled her. “This is important,” she said. “Tell me the truth . . . did you take the pills before you came here?”

“Of course, I took two. I know they put special vitamins into my blood for you—we all know about taking the pills.”

She looked into Christopher’s eyes and felt her heart ache. “You shouldn’t be here.” Her voice wavered. “This is all wrong.”

Calida now felt another presence that was also familiar. She pulled Christopher’s head down onto her shoulder and looked up through the observation window. A figure stood on the other side and he held up something he wanted her to see. She reached out, fearful of the contact.

“I didn’t come here to upset you,” Christopher said, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

“Shhh . . . quiet . . . don’t talk, just hold me.” Calida reached out and made contact with the figure behind the glass for a second time. She quickly read what was wanted from her and she shook her head. The vivid cruelty of what was being demanded made her eyes flash a deep angry pink. And the vibration again jolted her skull and an intense pain blurred her vision. It suddenly stopped, but her whole body trembled.

“I’m sorry, Honey,” Christopher whispered. “I didn’t come here to make you cry.”

Calida knew they had been trapped. She had taken many lives through the countless years, but she didn’t want to take this one, at this moment. She focused on the Director who was smiling at her and she strained to gain a purchase within his mind, but the implant inside her head screamed its high pitched warning. Calida hesitated, trying to face what she must now do. And in a final act of futility she fully extended her fangs as a warning, but the Director ignored the display and gave her a final nod.

Calida held no illusions that she was anything but a killer who fed upon the weak. But the decision to kill had always been her choice, and done only out of necessity, to survive. And here, at this moment, she had become an instrument of death controlled by the will of another. Another who in the darkest ways was far more evil then even the worst of her kind. Unlike a vampire, this man didn’t kill for food.

Calida stroked Christopher’s hair for a tender moment and listened to the loud rush of blood through his exposed neck. She touched the soft warmth of his skin with her lips and gently whispered into his ear, “Don’t worry, Sweetheart, it will be over soon.”

And she plunged her fangs deep into the large blood vessels coursing through his neck and bit down hard, severing everything in a deadly instant as she excised a mouthful of flesh, which she quickly swallowed. The young man struggled for a few desperate seconds, but there was no hope of escaping her embrace. As Calida helplessly drained Christopher of his life the Director silently watched her feed.

R
yan looked at the computer screen and frowned. This wasn’t the result he wanted, or even expected. He turned away, surveyed his laboratory, and listened for a moment to the electrical background chatter of his equipment performing their tireless routines. He concluded that he couldn’t do anything about the situation so he got up and walked over to where Professor Balken was mumbling about his own equipment not being carefully packed. The Professor ignored Ryan who patiently waited for his attention.

“I’m sorry about this,” Ryan finally offered.

“Well don’t be,” Professor Balken said. “I may be past my physical prime but I am still quite capable of sound research.” He turned away from Ryan and looked over his packing list.

“You’ve misunderstood me,” Ryan said. “I’m sorry that you won’t be able to publish. I’ve just received a message from the Director that the agency can’t have any such information made public. It would interfere with the central doctrine that controls this agency’s—”

“I don’t care about that,” Professor Balken said. “Long ago I exorcised my desire for the big prize. And even though I am sure ye are a capable . . . molecular biologist, there are other areas of study here that require my assistance.”

“As I was saying,” Ryan said. “The message from the Director stated that your contract with the agency for secrecy will remain in force. Now, how would you like to proceed with the elemental analysis?”

“Of course I will honor my agreement with—” Professor Balken raised an eyebrow and clasped his hands together. “Are you telling me that I am—I am to remain, and assist with the research?”

“I’ve been instructed you’ve been granted appropriate clearance. I remain lead researcher, you understand.”

“Well, certainly my young Doctor, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The administrative aspects of research only serve to slow down progress.”

Ryan walked up to the Professor and offered his hand. “Welcome to the team,” he said, and the two men shook hands. “Now what would you like to know first?”

“The answer to the same question I asked last night. What is she?”

Ryan looked past Professor Balken and nodded.

“She’s a vampire,” Siri replied, standing by the entrance to the laboratory.”

Professor Balken turned around. “Such a thing—a terrible thing—really exists?”

“Remember her eyes?” Ryan replied. “And her teeth? Fangs really. She’s got six of them I’ve been told.”

“And she seemed to be such a sweet girl up until the last few minutes,” Professor Balken said. “The poor young lass.”

“Before you waste any more pity on her,” Siri said, “Don’t ever forget that she is a killer, and never to be trusted.”

Ryan locked eyes with Siri and realized that something had changed with her. She had always been carefully measured in the words she chose. This was out of character for her.

“Professor,” Ryan began, “why don’t you get yourself situated with one of the workstations so you can review the data we’ve so far obtained on this rare trace element?”

“Ah, yes! The one-thirty-six! Where is that young assistant of yours?” Professor Balken asked. “Henry? Henry, please assist me,” he directed. “I do hope the young man has had a proper science education.” And he walked toward Henry who had just looked up from a delicate analysis he was performing.

“So talk,” Ryan said, now that he was alone with Siri.

“At 5:00 AM, I received a call from the clinic’s chief medical officer, Doctor Peterson,” Siri said. “He asked me to assist in an autopsy. He told me there had been an accident with one of the recruits and I was the only other medical doctor onsite.”

“I already don’t like where this is headed,” Ryan said.

“So I hurried over to the clinic and was met by Peterson. He told me he had been ordered to perform an immediate autopsy and led me to one of the examining rooms.” Siri rubbed her neck for a second. “Outside of the room was the Director who informed me that my help was greatly appreciated.”

“Yeah? I bet . . . so what happened?”

“It was Christopher, Ryan,” Siri answered. Her large brown eyes expressed her sorrow. “The young man who donated right after you. Remember?”

“I remember him,” Ryan said. “Seemed like a nice kid from the south.”

“He was just a sweet kid, really,” Siri said. “He wasn’t ever going to be a field agent. He was good with equipment, that was all.”

“What happened to him?” Ryan felt a hollow pit form inside him.

“When I walked into the exam room he was lying on a metal drain table with his face turned toward the door. At first glance I didn’t see anything impressive that would indicate a severe trauma from an accident. But when I got closer, Doctor Peterson nonchalantly turned Christopher’s head and that’s when I saw the injury to his neck.”

Ryan leaned back against the laboratory bench. “We don’t need this, not now.”

Siri nodded. “I asked Peterson what happened and he told me a weapon misfired at the range. I gave him my opinion that it didn’t look like an entry wound from a projectile.”

“He just shrugged and continued with the autopsy.  When we were done he entered the cause of death and signed the report.”

“You’re positive that it wasn’t caused by a weapon?”

“There’s only one way that kind of a wound could be made.”

A quick chill reached inside Ryan. “Why did he go see her?” He asked. “Why was he even allowed alone with her? Where were the guards?”

“I refused to sign the report and the Director immediately confronted me. He told me that Christopher had arranged with the duty officer some alone time with Calida. I was told the duty officer has already admitted his role. He also informed me that if the true cause got out he would have no choice but to terminate this project.” Siri stepped over to a chair and wearily sat down. “Ryan, what she did to him; how he died . . . it’s cruel.”

“I don’t understand how the agency could get caught like this,” Ryan said. “She was so easily able to out maneuver everybody—that God damn plexiglas should never have been removed.”

“But why would she do it?” Siri asked. “She was being fed, and being treated so well by all of us. There was no reason for her to do this.”

Ryan reached out and gently placed his hand on Siri’s shoulder. “But she did. How bad was it?”